Archery tower blind design

[bagem]

I'm about to build my first tower blind for bowhunting and need some advice. I bought some metal leg brackets and plan on elevating the actual blind about 12 feet high. What I need is some ideas or plans anyone may have on construction of the actual boxed enclosure. My current idea is to have a fairly large enclosure, probably 6'X6' or 6'X8', so I can have a few kids in there when I hunt. One of the main things I'm contemplating is what kind of windows to use. I plan on building the walls with 2X4's and would like to frame in some fairly sturdy windows that are big enough to comfortably shoot a bow out of. My idea is to use some slide windows, but I'm way open for ideas on this. I would also like some ideas on roof design. I thought it might be cool to have a flat roof of some type that I could sit on top of if I want to hunt in the open instead of in the enclusure. I'm in South Dakota, so that's why I want a warm enclosure so my young kids will have a favorable hunting experience.

Thanks

[salukipv1]

I think you're better off having a sloped roof, and a balcony/deck coming off the side, ie make the platform bigger with a open area on the side of it, I think a flat roof is asking for water damange to occur much more quickly.

Quite windows would be my first choice....whatever you choose. Another option would be to buy plexiglass, or some sort of clear plastic sheeting from a hardware store and create the slide windows yourself....could be quite a big cheaper and possibly better....quieter and easier to open/slide.

Also plan to make the enclosed area big enough to draw a bow....read a story years ago in IL Game n Fish a guy built a blinde, for his father/rifle, ended up bowhunting out of it and it was too small to draw on a deer.....stuff like that shouldn't happen, design it for all options...because eventually all of those options will happen.

[bagem]

Good thoughts there. Thanks. I would like to make the enclosure as airtight as possible for 2 reasons. One to control odors leaving the enclosure, because I'll have others in there with me and can't control how well they wash up beforehand. And second because it gets dang cold up here in the northern midwest and I want my kids to be comfortable. Any other thoughts from you guys on windows and or roof construction? Anyone have any photos of archery tower blinds?

[Rammer]

I have a box blind that I do archery hunt out of, but its very tough.

Here's a photo of mine, then I'll explain:



My dimensions are 4'x8', which is too small for archery hunting. I'm a bigger guy, and pulling a bow back in that confined space isn't easy. For Nay-Sayers I also hunt out of ground blinds, and they have more room.

My windows on the North/South side (side that can be seen) are almost 3' tall, and are great for shooting out of. My windows on the West/East side are 18" tall and 18" wide. I made this blind for rifle hunting, and used what I had laying around. We built another box blind for my buddy and his is 6x8, and that is a HUGE improvement over my 4x8, 2 guys can rifle hunt out of mine, but not comfortably. That 6x8 we had 3 guys in this deer season, and a propane tank, and heater and it was great.

Plexi-Glass windows are a great idea (thats what my East/West windows are). Making them slide quiet, isn't the easiest, and coming up with a quick way to latch them full opened is also a must. I will be building another box blind this summer for one of my best areas, and I will be buying sliding windows, it'll be 7x8, fully carpeted, insulated, with a full size walk in door, and 8ft ceiling for plenty of storage, bow room. You will need to carpet the blind to make it quiet, I hunted out of mine for 2 years without carpet and it was almost impossible to move in there and not have a deer 100+ yards away hear you.

As for scent, I hang scent wicks out the side windows about 2ft below the bottom of the blind so they are roughly 7ft off the ground, and I have had bucks come in down wind of it, and have yet to get winded while hunting out of it, even with all the windows open come prime time.

Northern Tool and Equipment sells a framing kit for a 7x8 building, with a sloped roof, that you don't have to cut your 2x4s when making it. I am going to buy one of these kits ($50), and then I'm going to copy it and make my own after that for other stands I make.